


A Missing Conversation About a Certain Jedi

by Mwppff



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Darth Vader's A+ parenting, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Jealous Han Solo, Leia Organa Needs a Hug, Luke Skywalker Needs A Hug, One Shot, POV Han Solo, Protective Han Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-03
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23465749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mwppff/pseuds/Mwppff
Summary: "As the droid continued to narrate the tale of Luke's own daring adventure in the background, Han's mood darkened along with it as the two figures just out of sight continued their little powwow. He was a fool for thinking a princess would choose a scruffy-looking smuggler over a Jedi Knight."OrWhat if the confrontation between Han and Leia in the Ewok village went a little differently? In the midst of Leia's turmoil, she spills everything to Han who struggles to keep up his gruff, smuggler exterior.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker & Han Solo, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Han Solo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 136





	A Missing Conversation About a Certain Jedi

Han Solo was a happy man. 

Sure, he and the first of his actual real friends were in the middle of a warzone, but at the moment, he was in no rush to go in with guns blazing. 

Night had fallen on the ewok village, that he reluctantly found himself a member of, and to celebrate his, Luke, Leia, and Chewie’s induction, C-3PO was employing his god-like status to passionately narrate their adventures of the previous year. Though, he could not understand a word of what the golden rod was saying except for bits and pieces (he didn’t speak fuzzball).

The storytelling was not what made him so content to stay put, however. It was his present company, specifically Leia who was pressed comfortably against his side. 

The fact that she had chosen him was still a surreal thought as the jump in their relationship had happened so quickly. One minute, he was walking towards what he assumed would be his execution and the end of anything that may have sparked between them, and the next, she was saying she loved him in one terrifying and glorious timeframe.

When his disoriented and rattled mind woke up from his bout of hibernation, Leia was the one who grounded him, and, somehow, he felt like he had been by her side all along and no time had passed since that fateful moment on Bespin. 

Even so, time still  _ did  _ pass for Han, albeit at an incredibly slow rate, and the change from Leia screaming at him to simply just being quiet and content in his presence was baffling to his, as Leia liked to put it, “half-witted” brain. 

Just as C-3PO was starting to conclude his annoyingly over-dramatized recount of the events that had brought them there, the reassuring weight by his side suddenly shifted and then left all together along with it the slightly euphoric feeling that had enveloped him. Slightly startled out of his thoughts by her unforeseen movement, Han looked on confusedly as she swiftly headed towards the exit of the hut. Slightly concerned that the retelling of their trials had distressed her, Han moved to rise as well, but then he caught a glimpse of the black clad figure standing stiffly on the bridge. 

_ Luke _ . 

He could not avoid the slight twist of his lips into a sour expression. 

Don’t get him wrong, he loves the kid like a little brother (not that he would ever admit that out loud and would most likely take that information to his grave), but he was also well aware of his not-so-subtle feelings for the princess. He made it no secret while rescuing Leia on the Death Star that he was attracted to her, and he did not even attempt to hide his cheeky grin on Hoth after Leia kissed him just to piss Han off. It did not help make him feel better that the two seemed to have grown even closer during his long rendezvous with Jabba while in carbonite. 

As Han observed the two as they had, what seemed to him, a  _ very  _ deep conversation he could not squash his rising jealousy even if he tried. His scowl deepened. 

Luke was always the hero in the story, Han was not. Although Han did not know exactly what transpired during Bespin, all he knew from snapshots of conversation was that the kid faced down Vader and survived which was a hell of a lot better than what Han could say about his own confrontation with the Emperor’s right hand man. He also was the one who ultimately saved all of their butts on Jabba’s skybridge. If not, Han and the rest of them would most definitely be sarlacc chow. 

Han knew that Luke had changed since before he last saw the kid on Hoth. For better or for worse, Han wasn’t sure. But watching him talk to Leia with a bit of a dopey smile that occasionally flitted across his face as she obviously reacted to whatever he was saying, Han couldn’t help but lean towards the latter. 

As the droid continued to narrate the tale of Luke's own daring adventure in the background, Han's mood darkened along with it as the two figures just out of sight continued their little powwow. He was a fool for thinking a princess would choose a scruffy-looking smuggler over a Jedi Knight.

Finally, just when Han couldn’t take anymore and was up on his feet to give Luke a piece of his mind, the two parted their joined hands in a fashion that made it look like the reluctant parting of two lovers which left Leia standing alone and looking lost as Luke vanished into the night. The jealous beast inside of Han growled louder. 

Feeling no shame in charging onto the suspended bridge now that the other half of her party was gone, Han promptly marched up to Leia although he tried not to let his irritation show. 

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing. I-I just want to be alone for a little while.”

The word  _ alone _ was like a punch to the gut as he was transported back to almost a year ago when that same word did not mean alone together but individually as the meaning behind her words in the present was clear. 

“Nothing,” he asked incredulously as it was obvious she was lying. Again he urged her to open up with a little more irritation seeping into his voice, “Come on. Tell me. What’s going on?”

For a moment she looked as though she wanted to tell him everything, but then she had an unseen debate with herself as her eyes furiously switched through unreadable emotions. And her answer resurrected Han’s previously buried envy ten-fold.

“I-I can’t tell you,”

“Could you tell, Luke? Is that who you could tell?” 

He immediately regretted his harsh tone and words as she seemed to become even more dismayed at the proclamation of Luke’s name. A pit seemed to form in his stomach as Han came to the assumption that her anxiety was due to her newfound feelings of love for Luke which meant he would be kicked out of the picture. And what a beautiful picture.

As she whipped around to practically hug the railing to hide the tears about to overflow, his frustration reached its boiling point and he waved his hand dismissively while making an exasperated noise and proceeded to stalk off the bridge. 

But he stopped dead before he could get much further.

Han could not find the will to take those final steps back into the hut even as he commanded his body to move his feet forward. One of the things he both liked and hated about himself was that he didn’t know when to quit.

Even when his heart was being crushed on the ground in front of him.

The ex-smuggler heard Leia inhale to speak and he prepared himself to reject any meaningless excuses she would throw at him.

“Luke is gone,” she said tearfully.

Han rolled his eyes and scoffed.  _ Ha,  _ old news.

“I already know that, sweetheart. I think you can survive one night without a goodbye kiss.”

A flash of hurt. “No Han,” she said more forcefully. “Luke is  _ gone.” _

An uneasy feeling encompassed him as he took in the weight of her words. 

“What do you mean  _ gone _ ?” he asked with intensity while making sure to keep the trepidation that had started to surge inside of him out of his voice. 

“He went to confront Vader,” Leia said but her voice was barely a whisper now as she readied herself for his inevitable explosion.

A beat of silence and then-

“WHAT?!” Han practically roared and the cheery chatter of the ewoks inside the hut immediately died.

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT KID THINKING?! AND WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS NOW?! ” he screamed as he stomped in the general direction of where he had last seen Luke in order to hide the terror that was slowly bubbling up inside of him. All of that time he wasted feeling jealous while the kid could be… No! No, Han refused to think down that road. 

“Han! You have to let him do this! You have to let him face Vader!” Leia pleaded as she unsuccessfully tried and failed to stop Han’s rapidly advancing movements. 

“Why should I let him do anything?! It’s obvious that the kid shouldn’t be making any adult decisions after this stunt!” he shot back as ignored her and attempted to shake her hand off his arm so he could reach the ex-farm boy before he did anything too stupid. Well, anything else. 

“Because!” She shouted back and he would’ve laughed at her childish response if the situation wasn’t so dire. 

“Because, why?!” He responded as a challenge to her answer with a child-like one of his own. 

“BECAUSE-,” she shrieked and then composed herself, “Because Darth Vader is Luke’s father!” the usually stone-faced princess said as fresh tears started to trace the old tracks that led down her cheeks at the gravity of what she had just revealed.

That got Han to stop. 

For a minute Han’s mind short-circuited as he was unable to connect the two bantha-sized dots that appeared in front of him. When he did he could not conceal the look of utter shock that crossed over his now white face. 

“He - what?” he sputtered as it was the only comprehensible thing that he could form in his brain in that moment. 

“Luke told me just before he left tonight,” she explained quietly again now. So unlike her usual self that it snapped Han out of his delirium. 

_ So that’s why she was upset. _ Han thought. Well, he felt like a complete jerk now. 

“Leia, I-” he started to say but Leia cut him off. 

“Don’t,” she said though he could tell the topic of conversation was not completely dropped. “What matters now is Luke. Han… I’m worried about him.”

If she felt any of what Han was feeling, he was pretty sure worried was an understatement, but of course the smuggler turned general wasn’t about to let her know that. 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Your Highness. Luke’s gone against Vader before and he made out pretty well last time. Why would…” he trailed off at her suddenly outraged look.

“Uhhhh was it something I said?” he asked with a breathless chuckle as he grew increasingly nervous at the growing expression of rage on her face.

“Han! How could you say something like that!’

“Like what?! I don’t even know what I said!”

“You know how hard recovery was for Luke! How much he suffered at the loss of-” she cut herself off abruptly as she seemed to realize what she was saying. 

“ No, You wouldn’t know, would you,” Leia said softly as she sent him an apologetic look, “And we never told you.” 

An uneasy feeling formed in his stomach, the same one that appeared every time he was reminded of the fact that he missed so much during those months he was “away”. He didn’t dare let it bother him now though and he shook off his self pity in order to focus on the more pressing matter at hand. 

“What happened, Leia?” he inquired hesitantly as he spotted the far-off look that formed in her eyes. 

“On Bespin, when Luke fought Vader. He - Vader cut off his hand, Han.” 

Silence was all that followed her words as he took in this other bit of shocking information. Pain was the first feeling that hit Han after registering her words. Pain at not being there for Luke after that traumatic experience. Pain at not noticing it sooner so he could help  _ now. _

And then anger. Anger at Vader for doing that to his own son. Anger at the _kriffing_ _universe_ that it could be so twisted as to dish that fate out to a kid who had only done good for the galaxy. But mostly, anger at himself for not asking Luke sooner about why he wore only the one black glove. Anger at himself for not approaching Luke when he saw him wincing and clutching his wrist after the fight against Jabba as he now realized was damaged and probably shocking the poor kid. 

Anger at himself for not being able to push aside his gruff, hardened, smuggler exterior in order to help the boy he views as a brother. 

Not wanting Leia to sense the hatred he had turned onto himself, he redirected it towards the man who caused those opportunities to arise in the first place.

“I didn’t think it was possible to hate that man anymore and, yet, here we are,” Han grumbled as he thought of Vader and tightened his fists to disguise his shaking hands with tremors of anger.

“I know, Han. I know,” Leia said sadly and Han hated that sound in her voice and hated that he didn’t know how to get rid of it, “But, I don’t think Luke is thinking clearly. He’s determined that he sensed some sort of good in Vader and he thinks he can turn him back to the light.”

At that Han  _ did  _ laugh. 

“Sweetheart,  _ Darth Vader  _ is less likely to defect than I am to  _ willingly  _ give up the  _ Falcon _ which isn’t kriffing likely.”

“I know that, and you know that, but Luke… whatever he saw has him completely convinced it’s possible and that concerns me, Han. What if he lets his guard down enough and Vader takes advantage of his lapse in judgement and-and he doesn’t make it,” she said with wide fear filled eyes. 

A spike of fear went through Han as well when he heard this, but he hid it the only way he could.

With humor. 

“Believe me, that kid has gotten out of too many tight situations with sheer dumb luck to be a coincidence and I don’t think the universe is about to stop that now,” he said with his signature smirk and some of his tension bleed out of him at her smile. 

“Besides, if that kid dies while attempting to save his jerk of a father, I’ll bring him back just so I can kill him myself.”

“Careful,” Leia warned with an now mischievous grin, “Some people might think that you care, Solo.”

With a twinkle in his eyes Han wrapped his arms around what he hoped would be his future and adopted a gentle smile. 

“I do.” 

And the two made their way back to where they could hear C-3PO still droning on in the distance, hands laced. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone this is my first fanfic so I would love some feedback!! 
> 
> I'm sorry if it seems like I made Leia seem like a damsel in distress, but I think that this scene is her most vulnerable moment in all of the Star Wars Trilogy, and I wanted to highlight that. 
> 
> I also don't own any of the characters and they all belong to Lucasfilms and Disney. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it!  
> \- Mwppff <3


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